Residents resolutions for Laguna Hills, Lake Forest

Jan. 8, 2013

Updated Aug. 21, 2013 1:17 p.m.

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Andrew Blount, right, was elected to the Laguna Hills City Council in November. Blount and candidate Raghu Mathur, who lost his council bid, were at an Election Day watch party Nov. 6. ANA VENEGAS, THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

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Several Lake Forest residents said their resolution for the city is to get a dog park. This pair of young dogs plays at Arbor Dog Park in in Los Alamitos, named one of the best in the Register's Best Of Orange County contest this year. SAM GANGWER, THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

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Residents in Lake Forest and Laguna Hills said one of their resolutions for their cities is to join with a no-kill animal shelter like the one in Mission Viejo. In this file photo, volunteer Lori Szafirski of Aliso Viejo holds a cat while cleaning her cage at the Mission Viejo shelter's cattery. KEVIN SULLIVAN, THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

Andrew Blount, right, was elected to the Laguna Hills City Council in November. Blount and candidate Raghu Mathur, who lost his council bid, were at an Election Day watch party Nov. 6. ANA VENEGAS, THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

As the new year was approaching, we asked readers to send us resolutions for 2013 for their cities. Animals seemed to be on the minds of the Lake Forest residents who responded, many of whom said they'd like to see a dog park in the city. Others want a plan to reduce traffic congestion. In Laguna Hills, residents brought up issues such as a no-kill animal shelter and renegotiation of the City Manager's compensation. What are your resolutions for your city this year? Tell us in a letter to the editor sent to SaddlebackValleyNews@ocregister.com.

KEEP SMALL-TOWN FEEL

At the last General Plan Advisory Committee meeting held a couple of years ago, the overwhelming consensus was "to keep things the same as we like the small town feel." I believe that sentiment still exists today. Laguna Hills is safe, business and resident friendly, renovating areas when needed, and has well maintained streets along with intersection improvements. Information is readily available on the city website and through quarterly updates in City Views (newsletter). Probably the biggest area in need of improvement is the open space area along La Paz road between Moulton Parkway and Alameda. It is a barren desert but I believe is scheduled for landscaping and other amenities with the redevelopment of the shopping center beginning next year.

Joan Lautenschleger, Laguna Hills

ADDRESS CITY MANAGEMENT PAY

My New Years wish is simple: I wish that our elected officials keep their campaign promise and reduce the overly bloated compensation packages that our city manager and his staff receive. (Former City Council candidate) Raghu Mathur clearly pointed out during his attempted election run that the compensation packages received by the City Manager and his staff are in excess of $1.6 million. This is an obscene amount of money for a small suburban community of 30,000 residents and needs to be readily addressed by the City Council. Mathur further opined that enough money could be reduced from this budget to contract at least one more sheriff's deputy for our city. What is more important, our City Manager driving around in a $60,000 SUV (that was purchased in another city) or having another officer patrolling our streets and watching over our schools? The voters are watching; let us hope the City Council does its job.

Rick Youngren, Laguna Hills

JOIN NO-KILL SHELTER

I live in Laguna Hills and volunteer at the Mission Viejo shelter. We definitely need to change to sharing with a local humane shelter in the area and not with the over crowded, high-kill shelter in Santa Ana.

Candy von Pohlmann, Laguna Hills

An animal shelter with a no-kill policy like all our other neighboring communities; no more wasteful expenditures for signage (high school, library etc.); an affordable city manager.

Beryl Johnson, Laguna Hills

ANIMAL SERVICES, PAY, TRANSPARENCY

What needs to change in Laguna Hills:

•Better animal care services for residents. Change to sharing a local humane, no-kill, animal shelter with another city in south Orange County in place of the high-kill long distance Orange County Animal Shelter that we have always had.

•Partnering between city government, schools and businesses to build a community rather than just a city, and partnering with schools to increase safety. There needs to be more partnering with businesses to support them and more proactive work to bring needed businesses to Laguna Hills.

•Transparency in Laguna Hills city government. There is a very significant need for residents to know everything the city is doing and how it affects them. There has been a significant lack of transparency in this city for way too long and that appears to be changing now but we need to ensure that it continues.

•The city needs to look good but there needs to be more flexibility in allowing businesses to at least name the shops in a shopping area on their signage.

•We need increased opportunity for input from residents regarding all other things that affect the quality of residents' lives including business renovations. For the past two years the city staff has asked to discontinue the city survey of residents, rather than to improve it.

•Establish specific expense accounts for the City Manager and other management staff with auditing by council members and citizens in a city audit and finance committee to ensure submitted expenses are appropriate.

•The city needs to renegotiate the City Manager's total compensation as well as the total compensation for the other management staff and clearly post all of it on the city web site where it is easily accessible.

•The city needs to require balanced reporting in Laguna Hills' city website feature "City Views," which is expensive for taxpayers and exclusively contains only information that makes the city look good.

•The city needs to find out why the city's alternate transportation for seniors is so poorly used and how to make it more useful.

•Many residents have complained, for years, about no covers over bus stop benches to protect them from rain in winter and sun in summer.

•The city needs to work to get the county to act on the significant erosion of Aliso Creek between two housing developments in Laguna Hills that has progressed to the point of danger for citizens hiking or biking in that area.

•The city website needs to be made more citizen-friendly.

What needs to stay the same in Laguna Hills:

•Continue to keep the city looking good and be conservative in spending but with more input from residents related to where taxpayer money is spent.

•Continue to work well with finding and using Measure M/M2 funds and finding other grants for use in the City.

Jean Bland, Laguna Hills

DOG PARK, NO-KILL SHELTER

I am an eight-year resident of Lake Forest, and would like the following for the city: a dog park; our own humane, no-kill animal shelter; and a decent, intelligent traffic monitoring system.

Anne Breuer, Lake Forest

I don't have a dog, but as a Lake Forest resident I think a dog park would be a great idea. Almost every city around us has one and we have quite a few dog owners just in my neighborhood. It's not only good for the dogs to run free, but it's a great way to meet new friends in the neighborhood with similar interests. I would like to see a dog park in Lake Forest big enough to accommodate a small dog section and a large dog section.

Bob Holtzclaw, Lake Forest

We feel a dog park would be very important to our community. A dog park in lower Lake Forest would be fantastic, where we feel extra services are not normally offered. We need upgraded parks on the west side of the railroad tracks and the community would benefit greatly from them! Parks help create a sense of community, which seems to be missing in our area.

Carol Toney, Lake Forest

For our four-pawed friends, first on our wish list is a dog park.

Carolyn Follis, Lake Forest

My request is for a dog park. It's badly needed here.

Dennis Fletcher, Lake Forest

What I really want to make the New Year GREAT in Lake Forest is a nice dog park where residents can take their dogs to exercise and make friends with other dogs.

Myron Drinkwater, Lake Forest

After much thought and a hard run battle in the past, I think it would be nice if Lake Forest had a dog park. I know of so many that share my thoughts and use neighborhood parks to run their dogs, much to the opposition from Animal Control Services.

Gayle Bannis, Lake Forest

Lake Forest needs to set aside space for a dog park before all the open land is gone. The dog park in Laguna Niguel is very small and the ones in Irvine and Mission Viejo are too far. Dogs who exercise and are socialized bark less and do less damage. Also, it's a great way to get to know more people in our town. Try to make it central, too, not way off in Foothill Ranch.

Liz Sakai, Lake Forest

What I would like for Lake Forest in 2013 is a dog park and our own animal control, or a partnership with the Irvine or Mission Viejo animal control.

Jill Pollard, Lake Forest

My two wishes for Lake Forest would be to opt out of OC Animal Care in Orange, (sure death for animals) and to contract with Mission Viejo or Irvine shelters. My second wish would be for a dog park. Just visit the facility in Orange and view their history (grand jury investigations). That should prove my point.

Valerie Meier-Carter, Lake Forest

SHELTER, NO DOG PARK

I'm not a big fan of dog parks, for a variety of reasons. I'd rather see an animal shelter in Lake Forest. That would serve more of our residents and provide a much-needed local service. We wouldn't have to rely on Mission Viejo and Irvine and lie about where we find an abandoned animal.

Karen Johnston, Lake Forest

NO HIGH SCHOOL STADIUM

I would like to suggest they drop the idea of building a stadium at El Toro High School. The parking issues around here are bad enough as it is. We won't be able to live around here once the stadium goes in!

Martha McCarthy, Lake Forest

STADIUM, TRANSPARENCY, DOG PARK, TOO

A dog park; an animal shelter for south county (we can share with Laguna Hills and Rancho Santa Margarita); a trap-neuter-release program; a new stadium for El Toro High School; conflict of interest laws for the council; new transparency for the council; a new senior center; synchronized traffic signals.

James Gardner, Lake Forest

TRAFFIC RELIEF

My wishes for Lake Forest in 2013 are a comprehensive and detailed plan to reduce traffic congestion, to include revised light timing and improvements to the streets for added right turn lanes and to remove unnecessary left turn lights. And a dog park would be nice.

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